Nagashima has competed in World Superbike once before, when he stepped in to replace injured Lecuona during the 2022 Australian SBK round. Despite the extremely tricky, mixed weather conditions, a very strong performance saw the Japanese rider place ninth and tenth in the weekend’s full-length races, in what was his debut appearance in the production-derived championship.

Supported by the HRC test team, Nagashima will be able to rely on his extensive experience of the CBR1000RR-R and his knowledge of the Jerez track, both from his Moto2 days and from tests carried out at the Andalusian circuit.

Keen to build on the valuable contribution he already makes to the SBK project, Tetsuta will do his best to hit the ground running on Friday and collect important data for the Japanese engineers.

32-year-old Tetsuta Nagashima was born on 2 July 1992 in Kanagawa, Japan. Having won a first domestic title at the tender age of 15, the Japanese rider went on to enjoy significant success at national level and became the All Japan GP-MONO champion in 2011. Tetsuta later progressed to the Moto2 World Championship and continued to compete in that intermediate category, whether as a full time or wildcard entry, until 2021. In 2020 he scored a maiden Moto2 race win at the opening Qatar round, before becoming HRC official test rider in 2021, a role he continues to hold today.

On 7 August 2022, Nagashima teamed up with BSB rider Takumi Takahashi and SBK factory rider Iker Lecuona to win the prestigious FIM Endurance World Championship “Coca-Cola” Suzuka 8 Hours. Tetsuta also achieved pole position and the race fastest lap aboard a factory bike based on the CBR1000RR-R FIREBLADE SP. In 2023 he was able to put in an incredible repeat performance, triumphing in the Suzuka 8 Hours for a second consecutive time, as part of a team with Takahashi and Xavi Vierge. In addition to his ongoing testing responsibilities, the 2024 season has seen Tetsuta compete in the All Japan Championship.